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LOOK
AT OUR WORLD RECORD
In
Spring of 1999, we had the good fortune of laying claim to the
title of 'World's Largest Orchid Flower' as certified by the Guinness
Book of World records.
Paphiopedilum
sanderianum 'Rapunzel' AM/AOS was grown and shown, with a stunning
display of 5 flowers, each an unprecedented 88.5 cm long and displaying
a total of nearly 29 feet of petals at a single flowering, by
Dr. John Doherty in the summer of 1995. It has indeed flowered
once more since then - and it was larger! Easily the most
aesthetically wondrous member of the entire genus Paphiopedilum,
this specimen was grown for many years under close scrutiny and
continuous TLC before producing its record setting spike. Ideal
conditions appear to be bright and warm, as for most strap leafed
Paphs. High humidity also seems to be important, especially during
anthesis to ensure proper petal development (petals may grow up
to 12 cm per day) Paph. sanderianum does not appear to respond
well to repotting, contrary to what is typical for the genus.
We
receive frequent requests for seedlings from this queen, which
has thus far unfortunately been reluctant to self pollinate or
outcross. Check back to this site for availability updates….
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The animated GIF to your left was generated over the 21 day period the most recent flowering was initiated. As you can see, floral development is highly accelerated, as well as spike longevity. Whereas many multifloral Paphs usually last at least 6 or 8 weeks, sanderianum will usually only last about a month under the hot, humid summer conditions under which it blooms. The key to spike initiation in blooming size specimens has been for us very warm summer nights. Other growers have indicated just the opposite, citing cool to cold nights as the trigger.
For more information, download the attached article from 'Orchids', journal of the American Orchid Society, written by John Doherty. (LINK TO PDF)
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